1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed generally to a paper roll defining an imprintable form typically used to record retail sales transactions and a method for using the paper roll. More specifically, the invention is directed to a paper roll containing a single-ply paper coated with a material (e.g., a carbon-type coating) that is partially or fully transferrable to a surface of a second portion of paper that is in contact with the coated surface of the single-ply paper and that can be used for printing duplicate, sequential documents, such as credit card receipts.
2. Description of Related Technology
Carbonless papers are papers coated with carbonless image producing agents. The phrase "carbonless image producing agents," as used herein, includes any system of colorless agents that chemically react to form a color when placed in contact with another reactive agent.
Such carbonless image producing agents generally comprise a two-part system. One part of such a system includes chemically reactive, colorless dyes that are contained in rupturable microcapsules. The other part of such a system includes a coatable reactive resin which reacts on contact with the colorless dye to develop a visible color.
To produce an image with such a two-part system, a surface of a first paper is coated with the microencapsulated colorless dyes while a surface of a second paper is coated with the reactive resin. To produce an image, the coated surfaces of the first and second papers are brought together and pressure sufficient to rupture the microcapsules is applied. When the microcapsules rupture, the colorless dyes are released and react with the reactive resin to form an image on the surface of the resin coated paper. Thus, the image printed or written on the first paper is also imprinted on the second paper.
Another type of carbonless image producing agents comprises paper having at least one side coated with self-contained (SC) microencapsulated colorless dyes and reactive resins. SC coated paper can be used to create an image, for example, by printing on an uncoated or coated sheet that is stacked upon the SC coated paper.
Image transfer processes using carbonless paper or using paper coated with a carbon-type image producing agent will be hereinafter referred to generally as "printing/imprinting." Typing or writing directly onto paper will be hereinafter referred to generally as "printing." Copying an image using carbonless paper or using paper coated with a carbon-type image producing agent will be hereinafter referred to generally as "imprinting."
Carbonless, multiple ply business forms generally include a number of plies that provide a desired number of copies of the form. For two-ply forms, the top ply is most often a coated back ("CB") paper and the adjacent underlying ply is a coated front ("CF") paper. In such a two-ply form, the CB paper is treated with a carbonless coating that contains rupturable microcapsules that are filled with reactive, colorless dyes. The CF paper is treated with a resin adapted to react with the colorless dyes. When the microcapsules are ruptured to allow contact of the colorless reactive dyes with the resin, a color changing reaction occurs that produces an image on the CF sheet of the underlying ply.
Multiple ply forms having three or more plies can also include a coated front and back ("CFB") ply. For example, in a three-ply form, the top ply may be a CB ply, the middle ply may be a CFB ply, and the bottom ply may be a CF ply. The middle (CFB) ply is coated on both opposing surfaces such that the CF surface of the middle ply allows images to be made on the middle ply and the CB surface of the middle ply allows copies of such images to be made on the CF bottom ply.
Conventionally, the bottom surfaces of CB paper are coated with the microencapsulated colorless dyes, and the top surfaces of CF paper are coated with the reactive resin. In addition, CFB paper is coated on one surface with the reactive resin and on the opposing surface with the microencapsulated dyes.
Carbonless papers coated with such carbonless image producing agents that are suitable for use in the invention are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,981,523, for example, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Other commercially available carbonless papers are sold under the trademark NCR PAPER.RTM., by Appleton Paper Inc. of Appleton, Wis. Compatible carbonless papers are also produced by other manufacturers such as Moore Business Forms, 3M, Mead Paper and others.
One common continuous feed printing/imprinting system that produces variable sized and shaped forms or copies from a common feedstock is a "point of sale" printing/imprinting system. Such systems are commercially available from manufacturers such as VeriFone Inc., Hypercom, Inc. and Datacard Corp. Retail sales transactions using credit cards are typically recorded on continuously fed two-ply (or sometimes three-ply) carbonless paper rolls using standardized printing/imprinting equipment. As used herein, the term "credit cards" is understood to include credit cards, debit cards, or other similar means for transferring funds between parties. A two-ply carbonless paper roll having one ply stacked or layered on the other ply readily provides two copies of the sale. The top ply is printed by a printer and the printed image is imprinted on the bottom ply due to the carbonless coating or coatings.
Specifically, in a "point of sale"transaction, a customer's credit card having a magnetic information strip is passed through a magnetic reader. Information, such as the customer's name, account number, card expiration date, etc., is read from the magnetic strip and this information is then printed/imprinted onto a multiple-ply carbonless paper roll. At the same time, additional information related to the specific sale, such as merchant's name, items purchased, price, etc., is also printed/imprinted onto the paper roll. After all of the needed information is printed/imprinted and each ply of the paper roll contains a copy thereof, a sales clerk separates the printed/imprinted portion of the paper roll from the remainder of the paper roll. The separated, printed/imprinted portion of the roll, which varies in length from sale to sale, is presented to the customer for completion, for example, in a restaurant setting, by signing the printed/imprinted portion and indicating thereon the amount of any gratuity and the total amount. Then, the two or more plies of the printed/imprinted portion are usually separated from one another by the sales clerk and separate copies containing complete copies of the printed/imprinted statement are retained by the sales clerk and the customer, respectively. Usually, the clerk keeps the printed top ply and the customer keeps the imprinted bottom ply.
More recently, "point of sale" printing systems have been developed that use a paper roll containing a single ply of plain (uncoated) bond paper (having no imprintable second ply) or containing a single ply of thermal paper (i.e., having a heat-sensitive image producing agent coated on the top surface thereof). Such single-ply "point of sale" systems are commercially available from manufacturers such as NCR, Micros Systems Inc., Datacard, and Citizen. In order to generate separate copies of the printed statement, two or more copies of the transaction information are printed. Typically, two copies of the transaction information are printed sequentially on paper fed from a single-ply, uncoated bond paper roll or from a single-ply thermal paper roll.
If desired, additional copies of the transaction information may also be printed on one or more remote printers. For example, in a restaurant setting, a copy of the transaction information may be printed on a printer located in a kitchen, to facilitate the preparation of food and/or beverages ordered through the transaction.
In the above settings, such as in the restaurant setting, when the customer (i.e., the credit card holder) is to complete a printed statement, the customer typically signs the statement and also indicates the amount of any gratuity and the total amount on the statement that is given to the clerk or to the waiter. However, when duplicates of the statement are printed sequentially, the customer typically keeps the unsigned copy, forgetting to record the amount of the gratuity, if any, that the he or she had written on the statement given to the clerk or to the waiter. Such a sequence of events can lead to problems, as it can facilitate fraudulent indications of an inflated gratuity. Rightfully or mistakenly, the customer may dispute the total charged to the credit card account that is reflected on a statement or bill from the credit card issuer, as reflecting a higher gratuity amount than that which was actually authorized by him or her. As a result, the restaurant is often faced with a "charge back" of the disputed amount and that amount must be credited to the credit card issuer account at least for an interim period until the matter is resolved. One restaurant chain alone has found this to be a problem costing the chain approximately one million dollars per year. As the single-ply receipt "point of sale" systems proliferate, such "charge backs" could potentially translate into hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenues on an industry-wide basis.
Also, because of the high cost of fraud, due to collusion among customers and merchants, the credit card issuers often require that an imprint of the credit card be on the sales slip with the total and signature or the charge back is allowed. This is impossible with existing single-ply plain bond paper or thermal paper receipts.
As disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. application Ser. No. 08/774,532, single-ply carbonless receipts can be used to overcome the aforementioned "charge back" problem. However, carbonless materials cannot be used in some situations. For example, carbonless coatings are incompatible with thermal paper. Accordingly, there is a need for single-ply receipts for printing/imprinting utilizing coatings other than carbonless coatings.